Coming off an 75-51 against Whitehorse last week, the Panthers competed in a 1A state competition on Tuesday with a play-in game against Diamond Ranch. Pinnacle was sent home with a 68-57 defeat.
The Diamondbacks game out strong, jumping ahead 6-0. The Panthers picked up the pace and chipped at the Diamond Ranch lead. Pinnacle went into the locker room at half trailing by eight.
Low scoring in the third proved problematic for the Panthers as Diamond Ranch outshot the team 16-5. Pinnacle went into the fourth behind, 47-28. Despite 29 points in the fourth, the team was unable to make up the deficit and gain the victory.
Pinnacle was led by Noah Mascarenas, who scored 20 points, including four three pointers, and pulled down 10 rebounds.